The roar of muscle car engines has graced American highways since the 1960s when they were popularized, and although these ‘pony cars’ have changed throughout the years people’s love for them hasn’t. These cars have been raking in revenue for ages, and yet to many car enthusiasts’ dismay, icons like the Chevy Camaro, the Dodge Charger, and the Dodge Challenger have all been discontinued after the 2024 model year
These models are not exceptions, many others are also to be axed in the coming year. According to Car And Driver, The Audi R8, Audi TT, Jeep Cherokee, Mercedes C-Class coupe, and Jeep Renegade just to name a few. The types being discontinued vary from luxury convertibles to gas-guzzling muscle cars and trucks, they have nearly nothing in common so their cancellations make no sense.
They aren’t because of bad sales, or lack of interest as some have speculated. The only reason for these model’s deaths is the emphasis on electric vehicles that has plagued the industry for a decade.
The popularity of EVs is undeniable, you can see it in every parking lot here in Southern California. Tesla is the leading company in this segment alongside some new rising brands like Rivian. In many situations, owning an electric car has many benefits, and if a driver’s taste aligns with it that’s great, and many people’s do.
The demand for EVs soared in April of 2022 according to The Wall Street Journal, with a 76% increase in sales when compared to that same time the year prior. With stats like those it’s not shocking that every major brand, still lacking in EVs when compared to Tesla and others, put the pedal to the metal, per se, when it came to EV production.
Companies like Ford have tried to lead the charge with controversial new models like the Mustang Mach-E, an electric crossover SUV with a name some argue it doesn’t deserve. To many, naming an electric SUV a Mustang is almost offensive to the highly decorated and beloved Mustang name. Reception to the Mach-E was better than to that of the Ford F-150 ‘Lightning’ though. Somehow managing to offend not only muscle car fans and truck fans alike, Ford bragged about the strength and towing capacity of the lightning and was promptly proven wrong by those testing the truck. With the same power as a regular F-150 with 4 gallons of gas, the truck could only tow its 8,500-pound capacity for 100 miles (MotorTrend).
In the face of these mediocre releases, Ford made the smart decision to continue the Mustang name into 2024 and on. But as mentioned earlier Chevy and Dodge opted not to, leaving the Mustang alone as the last standing in a once iconic trio. I was heartbroken when I heard about their cancellations and anyone else even close to the car world was as well. The idea that these losses were solely because of the need to produce mediocre electric hatchbacks left a horrible taste in many’s mouths as well.
After 57 years, Chevy stated that this discontinuation was not the end for the Camaro, Chevy’s Vice President Scott Bell even referenced a future successor. This promise sounds enticing but it loses value when you consider that this ‘successor’ would most likely be similar to the EV Dodge is pushing out to replace the challenger. The techy-looking two-door may be promising, but by design, it could never fill the hole the Challenger Hellcat will leave.
On their own these EV plans are interesting and diversity in the market is always great. But choosing to end beloved models to feed into an industry that has already peaked is heartbreaking. The Camaro didn’t survive a 70’s energy crisis and an 8-year hiatus in 2002 to be put down by wannabe Teslas. The Challenger didn’t create a fan base large enough to span the whole car community just to be discontinued either. But based on how brands have treated these models, that’s exactly what happened.
